bliss, I'm not worried about my "peers" as you put it, a quick question to them as to what they drive and how many miles/week should neutralize 90% of 'em.
I wouldn't call me a climate change "supporter", clearly there is more I can do. This thread has largely been if one believes climate change is real and man made. I recognize climate change as real and a CO2 ppm level of 400 proves it's man made. The difference between me and the deniers is I'm not going to complain about it when I'm forced to make some lifestyle changes, I'm already moving in that direction now. As already stated, this is a world problem - if the two big hitters besides us (China with
oil & India with coal) don't get on board then future generations will pay the price in a big way, we need China and India or all bets are off.
As for the political angle, how do you build a coalition of countries to support climate change initiatives without world leaders meeting to reach a consensus? If you have a better way to get international buy-in to some plan without them let me know. Once a plan is established how do you implement and control it? If not by a country's governing body then by who? BTW, I doubt the good ol' USA with its' dysfunctional congress will actually lead the effort with climate change (although we are posturing like we are). I see the UK and European block countries taking the lead making us look bad, then maybe we'll get serious with it. Of course, continued weather extremes like we have seen recently may finally tip the scales, loss of property and life tends to be a great motivator.
The idea of taxing the West to pay poor third world countries to avoid prosperity via fossil fuels I don't believe is the case. We all live on the same rock, the longevity of all of its' inhabitants transcends any lagging industrial revolution, particularly when byproducts are found to be detrimental to the planet. However, taxing the west to pay these countries to help them develop and avoid a fossil fuel industrial revolution does make sense. After all, it is us (along with any reasonably developed country) who created the problem. A 3rd world country shouldn't be penalized because we got there first and found out later of the detrimental effects. I believe they do deserve financial aid to not use resources in a way harmful to the planet. This says nothing of tribes, small villages and island communities we already know have been totally displaced do to climate change.